Solar energy has been collected to facilitate a variety of industrial processes. FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a system 100 for generating solar-heated steam in accordance with the prior art. In the illustrated system 100, a solar concentrator array 11 and a fuel-fired steam generator 13 can receive water from a water tank 17. The solar concentrator array 11 can heat up the incoming flow of water and, if sufficient insolation is available, can produce a steam flow 12 having a required flow rate and temperature. If the insolation at the solar concentrator array is not sufficient to produce the required flow rate or temperature of the output steam, the fuel-fired steam generator 13 produces a steam flow 14 that, when mixed with the steam flow 12, produces a combined steam flow 15 having the desired parameters. The flow rates and/or temperatures of the steam flows 12, 14, 15 can be controlled with a pump 18 and valves 16.
While the system shown in FIG. 1 may be suitable for some industrial processes, it may not be adequate to address particular processes, including gas purification processes, which have additional, application-specific variables.